Hoping to spend a weekend at Coachella without breaking the bank? Want to win VIP passes to the festival -- for life? Looking for love in Indio this April? Maybe your goal is simply to survive? No matter what you're trying to accomplish at this year's event, chances are our handy How-To Guide for Coachella 2013 will provide you with tips to maximize your chances at success. Check it out -- and good luck!

  • Instagram
    Instagram
    loading...
    1

    How to Get a Free VIP Pass

    Let's skip all the dangerous and/or illegal ways to get into the VIP area -- fence jumping, security bribing, bracelet switching, etc. -- and go straight to the environmentally conscious method: the awesome Carpoolchella initiative. Started back in 2007, Carpoolchella is a sweepstakes run with the help of Global Inheritance that gives out lifetime VIP passes for Coachella beginning in 2014. To enter, simply scrawl Carpoolchella on a piece of paper and tape it to your car window when you drive to the festival with at least four people in your car (because it's promoting carpooling, get it?) and everybody in one randomly chosen car will win the grand prize. Good luck!

  • Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
    Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
    loading...
    2

    How to Save Money ... and the Planet

    Coachella is known for its fan-friendly $2 bottles of water, but you can save even more green -- and be green -- by participating in the festival's recycling program. For every 10 empty bottles you collect from the grounds and bring to participating kiosks, you will receive one brand new free full bottle of cold, fresh and very wet water. It may not sound all that exciting right now, but trust us, when the temperature hits 101, you'll be grateful. Plus, you're saving the Earth while rocking the freak out -- what's better than that?

  • Michael Buckner, Getty Images
    Michael Buckner, Getty Images
    loading...
    3

    How to Find Love In the Desert

    Ladies travel blog MissTravel recently name Coachella the Best Music Festival for a First Date, to which we say: That's crazy! Who wants to go on a first date that involves traveling to California, camping out in the desert and then trying to schedule out three days of watching bands with someone who may have the exact opposite musical taste as you? You may not even know this person's last name, and MissTravel wants you to spend a long weekend with her/him? No thanks. Our advice: Go to Coachella unattached and be open and receptive to everybody and anybody who strikes your fancy while there. Who knows, maybe sometime in the future, you can go back and get married at Coachella.

  • Coachella.com
    Coachella.com
    loading...
    4

    How to Not Miss Your Favorite Acts

    We tell you what, Coachella's organizers have thought of everything. Not only did they book somewhere near 200 amazing acts for this year's gathering, but they also put together a little app called Coachooser that helps you map and schedule our your day, so as to hopefully not miss any of your favorites. Simply register/login to the site, go to the Coachooser page, pick out all the bands you want to see and it takes it from there. One really cool thing about Coachooser is that Coachella organizers used data collected by the app to help with scheduling, ensuring some of the most popular acts wouldn't play at the same time. Brilliant!

  • Mark Davis, Getty Images
    Mark Davis, Getty Images
    loading...
    5

    How to Survive the Weekend

    It's easy to fall under the hedonistic sway of Coachella, where the mantra of drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll comes to life before your eyes. But three long days of partying under the blazing desert sun will take its toll quickly, and if you try to go nonstop, chances are good you'll be passed out in your teepee by the time the Chili Peppers hit the stage. Therefore, it's important to maintain a somewhat normal lifestyle while raging at Coachella. Do so by eating regularly, drinking lots of fluids (and moderate amounts of booze), getting reasonable amounts of sleep, dressing comfortably, protecting yourself with sunblock (and prophylactics) and resting in the shade during your downtime. Do it right, and there will be plenty of time for the three R's.

More From Diffuser.fm